Hamas will respond to an Israeli truce proposal for Gaza “within a very short period,” an official with the Palestinian militant group said Wednesday, stressing though that any ceasefire needs to be permanent. Hamas is considering a plan for a 40-day ceasefire and the

Saudi Arabian authorities shuttered schools in several regions on Wednesday as flash floods inundated roads, the latest instance of heavy rains disrupting life in the desert Gulf. AFPTV footage showed partially submerged cars struggling to drive through standing water in the central

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will launch an invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah regardless of truce talks with Hamas. It comes amid ongoing attempts to try to reach an agreement for a ceasefire and hostage releases. But at a meeting of hostages'

Over 100 protesters were arrested Tuesday at Columbia University and City College of New York, according to a law enforcement official. Most of the arrests were made at Columbia, including about two dozen protesters who police say tried to prevent officers from entering the campus, the

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed Tuesday to Jordan where he will discuss ways to boost aid deliveries into Gaza and quietly thank the kingdom for its help during recent Iran-Israel clashes. Blinken flew to Amman after talks with Gulf Arab leaders in Riyadh, part of his

Demonstrators at Columbia University barricaded themselves inside a campus building early Tuesday, escalating a standoff with school officials as pro-Palestinian protests upend campuses across the United States. The occupation of Hamilton Hall at the prestigious university in New York

Indonesia’s remote Mount Ruang volcano erupted several times again on Tuesday, the country’s volcanology agency said, forcing evacuations, the closure of a nearby international airport and the raising of the alert level to its highest. Authorities had warned the threat from

China's coast guard said on Tuesday it "expelled" a Philippine coast guard ship and another vessel from waters adjacent to the Scarborough Shoal, Chinese state media reported. The coast guard did not provide additional information in a statement, but the incident was the

At least 25 people died and more than a dozen were injured when a bus plunged into a ravine from a mountain road in northern Peru, local authorities said on Monday. Local official Olga Bobadilla told RPP radio the incident late on Sunday happened on a potholed dirt road in the Andean

New York City's Columbia University has begun suspending students involved in a pro-Palestinian protest on campus after they defied a deadline to disperse. College leaders earlier warned those who failed to disband from the two-week encampment by 14:00 EST (18:00 GMT) on Monday

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia is taking advantage of the slow delivery of Western weapons to go on the offensive. His comments come after the US agreed a $61bn (£49bn) package of mostly military aid for Ukraine. Mr Zelensky said some of the aid had

Four law officers serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and four other officers were wounded in a shootout Monday at a North Carolina home, police said. Some of the officers who rushed to the Charlotte neighborhood to rescue the first wave of downed

The US state department has found five units of the Israeli military responsible for gross violations of human rights in individual incidents, but says they will continue to receive US military backing. All the incidents involved took place outside of Gaza before the current war.

More than 40 people have died in Kenya after a dam burst following heavy rains and flooding, officials have said. Homes were swept away and roads were cut off after the dam burst in Kamuchiri village in western Kenya. "Forty-two dead, it's a conservative estimate. There are

Ukraine’s top commander has said Kyiv’s outnumbered troops fell back to new positions west of three villages on the eastern front, where Russia has concentrated significant forces in several locations. Sunday’s statement by Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskii reflected

World Central Kitchen is to resume distributing food in Gaza, nearly a month after seven of its aid workers were killed in an Israeli air strike. The aid organisation said it has 276 trucks with eight million meals ready to enter through the Rafah crossing. "Ultimately, we

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says the US is the only country that can stop Israel from attacking Rafah, the southern Gaza city where more than a million people are taking refuge. Mr Abbas, who runs parts of the occupied West Bank, said any attack could see Palestinians flee

At least five people, including a four-month-old baby, have been killed after dozens of tornadoes ripped through the central US causing serious damage. Tens of thousands of residents were left without power following separate storms that began on Friday. Four of the deaths happened

A gold pocket watch worn by the wealthiest passenger on the Titanic has sold for six times the asking price, fetching £900,000. The watch belonged to businessman John Jacob Astor and was estimated to sell for £150,000 when it went under the hammer in Wiltshire. It

An ammunition explosion at a base in south-western Cambodia has killed 20 soldiers and wounded several others, the prime minister has said. Hun Manet said in a Facebook post that he was “deeply shocked” when he received the news of Saturday afternoon’s blast at the